Utility attachments for skid steer loaders (“skid steers”) have been developed for a variety of applications, ranging from backhoes and bale handlers to stump grinders and snow blowers. These attachments greatly enhance the productivity and utility of the skid steers. To accommodate these different utility attachments, conventional skid steers are designed with universal mounting mechanisms that allow the attachment to be quickly fitted to the skid steers and hydraulic systems with auxiliary attachment fittings that can be used to operate certain utility attachments.
New Holland, a division of CNH Global of Lake Forest, Ill., manufacturers a utility attachment for cement work. This utility attachment allows the skid steer to transport and dispense a small load ( under a cubic yard) of wet cement and includes a small hopper and a short cement chute. Cement is dispensed from the hopper by actuating a gate that is operatively connected to the controls of the skid steer. While convenient for hauling and dispensing wet cement in some applications, this attachment is not well suited for concrete work where large volumes of wet cement must be dispensed over many locations in small amounts or dumps, such as providing cement for concrete fence post foundations. The carrying capacity of this attachment is limited because the boom arms of the skid steer support the weight of both the concrete chute attachment and the wet cement carried inside. The capacity of this attachment cannot be significantly increased without increasing the danger of tipping the skid steer. Also, the design of this attachment does not allow the operator of the skid steer to visually monitor the cement being dispensed. While the skid steer operator can actuate and control the gate to dispense the cement from the seat of the skid steer, the operator's view of the gate is obstructed by the hopper body. Consequently, an additional person is often needed to help direct the skid steer operator to position the cement chute at the desired location and to help monitor the cement as it is dispensed from the hopper.